The X-Men wraps up with the last saga, “Dark Phoenix”, set for release on 7th June. Unfortunately, it’s a far cry from what fans expected as reviews from the early screening have been pouring in.

 

“Dark Phoenix”, being the 12th film in the X-Men franchise, was expected to do justice to the mutant comic adaptation. It is an adaptation of one of the most famous stories in the history of X-Men comics: the Dark Phoenix saga.

 

However, since its release date kept being pushed back, fans question the film studio’s fate in the movie. Dark Phoenix was written and directed by Simon Kinberg. Given the release of solo spin-off movies like Wolverine and Dead-pool, Fox’s X-Men seems outclassed.

 

 

Although, some of the past X-Men films have been epic, like the X2: X-Men United and X-Men: First Class. Still, years later and the story is stuck with the same old plot; like Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr bonded in friendship but divided by ideology.

 

Fortunately, many agree that “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” is better than “X-Men: Apocalypse”.

 

Entertainment Weekly‘s Leah Greenblatt writes,

“Twelve films into a nearly two-decade-old franchise, Dark Phoenix rises from the ashes of 2016’s silly, bloated X-Men: Apocalypse — not a free bird, exactly, but better than what came before.”

 

“X-Men: The Dark Phoenix”

 

During a life-threatening rescue mission in space, Jean is hit by a cosmic force that transforms her into one of the most powerful mutants of all. Wrestling with this increasingly unstable power as well as her own personal demons, she loses control. She tears the X-Men family apart and threatens to destroy the very fabric of our planet.

 

Reviews

 

Leah Greenblatt (Entertainment Weekly)

“It’s true that [the] X-Men have never exactly been the party clowns of the Marvel Universe: their hero status has always been conditional to fearful humans, and the chosen family of mutants they’ve landed in is less choice than necessity. Why should they have to banter for us, too?

 

“Still, for what is being called a final instalment, it all tends to feel both anticlimactic and a little grim in the end. Not that anything Marvel is ever really over; fans only have to hold their breath for horror spin-off The New Mutants, due next April.”

 

Todd McCarthy (The Hollywood Reporter)

“After 12 installments spread out over two decades, the X-Men franchise stumbles toward its close in Dark Phoenix. Played at an unmodulated level of subdued excitement that never quickens the pulse, longtime series producer Simon Kinberg’s directorial debut lacks the exclamation point fans have justifiably been hoping for at the end of a road that has embraced three prequels, related side routes with the Wolverine and Deadpool offspring and the reshoot-happy.

 

“The New Mutants [is] now scheduled for release next April. Curiosity and the desire for completion will draw the series faithful. But the creative inspiration and public excitement that once fed the series has demonstrably dissipated.”

 

Angie Han (Mashable)

“Turner puts a mighty effort into her performance as Jean. But [she] can only do so much to elevate the stilted dialogue and muddled character motivations she’s given. McAvoy does a capable job of delivering slightly better material but is shortchanged by the film’s divided attention.

 

“The other characters, including Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), and Magneto (Michael Fassbender), are just there to serve as set dressing. Accordingly, most of them give performances as wooden as the mahogany furniture lining Xavier’s mansion.”

 

Mike Ryan (UPROXX)

“Sadly, everything about Dark Phoenix just feels unnecessary. And it shows in the performances, as everyone just seems to be going through the motions, wondering how on Earth their contracts aren’t up yet. It’s a stark contrast to Matthew Vaughn’s rip-roaring, excitingly cool X-Men: First Class that kick-started this new cast.

 

“Now everyone looks bored. It’s now the second attempt at adapting the X-Men comics’ Dark Phoenix Saga to the big screen. It was first squeezed in Brett Ratner’s 2006 X-Men: The Last Stand and now tried again in Simon Kinberg’s Dark Phoenix, to not much better success. And on top of all that, after the sale of 20th Century Fox to Disney, this film now serves as an unofficial ending to a 19-year-old franchise that, despite its ups and downs, deserved a lot better.”